<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>the feeling is mutual by elkieistrying</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116216">the feeling is mutual</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/elkieistrying/pseuds/elkieistrying'>elkieistrying</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coming Out, M/M, Mako Is A Dumbass, No Beta We Transcend This Mortal Plane Like Yue, Not Beta Read, Pining, he may be a detective but boy is lacking in the romance department, i haven’t read them, im just freeballing here, korrasami is mentioned, like at all, not in the slightest, this is definitely not compliant with the comics at all, uhhhh i don’t have any other tags, wu knows this but loves him anywyas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:35:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,875</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/elkieistrying/pseuds/elkieistrying</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Are you into anyone?” Mako says, instantly regretting it. Wu choked on his drink, face quickly becoming flustered as he set the glass down. “Sorry,” Mako said, burying his face in his hands. The former prince seemed frozen for a second until he sheepishly put his hand behind his head. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t apologize, it’s fine, and I—well, yeah, I-I am. But he—“ Wu paused, eyes interlocking with Mako’s for only a moment before turning away. “he’d never be into me, to say the least.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Wuko Rights!</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the feeling is mutual</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hiii i’m elkie, this is my first fic in the tlok fandom and my first wuko fic so be gentle ;;;;; </p><p>i hope u enjoy it,, i’ll probabaly write more wuko content so stay tuned ig???</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Did you hear about Korra and Asami?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mako’s eyes focus on where Wu is sitting directly in front of him. The ex-prince isn’t quite meeting his eyes, just casually eating his food. This had become a regular thing between them, now, somehow. Once a week, if Wu wasn’t busy literally </span>
  <em>
    <span>dismantling the Earth Kingdom’s monarchy</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he would stop by Mako’s apartment to have a meal with him. And, Mako didn’t realize how much he had sort of </span>
  <em>
    <span>missed</span>
  </em>
  <span> his company in those few months they hadn’t been in contact with each other. It had been a weird thing, seeing him after all that time, because he almost seemed like a completely different person. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had filled out a bit—still scrawny but more sturdy than he had been before, not that his appearance had changed much aside from the way his eyes shined whenever he got excited (had they always…done that?). Wu whined a lot less than he used to, seemed more grateful for the small things, and was overall just a much better person than Prince Wu. He was just Wu, now, as he’d informed multiple people on multiple occasions whenever they tried to use honorifics. And, frankly, Mako much preferred this Wu. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hear…what about them?” Mako asked, head tilting slightly. In hindsight, maybe it had been pretty obvious what Wu was referring to, but in Mako’s defense it could’ve been anything. Not much clarification was given. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know…they’re a thing now,” Wu said like it had been obvious, and again, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>might’ve </span>
  </em>
  <span>been, but Mako had never been good about this sort of thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“…yeah? They are.” Mako said, confused about why ex’s love lives were suddenly brought up. It’s not like he needed a reminder he was very much single and very much not okay with it, not that he needed someone, it’s just that it would be nice </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh. I guess I thought you’d make a bigger deal out of it. The Earth Kingdom officials sure did,” Wu says, the last part just barely loud enough for Mako to hear. Suddenly, Mako remembers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Earth Kingdom…never took too well to people like Korra and Asami. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, Korra and Asami told me themselves a while ago,” Mako said, pausing to contemplate his next words. “What did the officials say?” He finally decides on, despite knowing full well what the answer would be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A silence that was almost long enough to be awkward ensued, making Mako look up to meet the expression on Wu’s face. It was that same sad look again, and Spirits, Mako </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re, uh, really old, so they didn’t have many good things to say about them,” Wu said quietly, eyes downcast. “Most people in the Earth Kingdom don’t.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I heard about that.” Mako says, turning his gaze down to his plate and away from Wu. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just…don’t understand it.” The former prince murmured. Mako’s eyes shot up to take a long look at his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t understand what? How Korra and Asami are in love?” Mako questioned. If it was anyone else, he might’ve been a little harsher, but Wu was different. He’s been sheltered from the world from a very young age, and it’d make sense if he didn’t understand how two women could be in love. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, no, I’m not—I’m so happy for them, they’re incredibly brave, and they’re perfect for eachother, I just…” Wu waved his hands defensively as he spoke, and then paused, seemingly thinking for a moment. “I don’t understand how people could hate them for…being in love.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mako stared at Wu, taking everything in for a minute. He was so genuinely good hearted, it surprised Mako sometimes. Mako always liked this side of him, it wasn’t a side he showed to many people and it always felt…sort of intimate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get it either.” Mako says, and he almost wants to say more but the words die on his tongue. Instead of the near awkward silence from earlier, a more comforting one ensues, until Wu speaks up again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never knew it could be like that, you know?” Mako tilted his head in confusion, focusing on the boy in front of him. His eyes were just so </span>
  <em>
    <span>green</span>
  </em>
  <span>, not the electrifying green Asami’s are, or the gentle green Bolin’s are, but a soft, deep forest green. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean by that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just…Spirits, this is going to sound dumb,” Wu said, shaking his head softly. “Ever since I was really little, I was always told that I needed to marry a nice, rich Earth Kingdom dame, but…I don’t know. That was never for me. It was never something I wanted, I was just told I </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> want it, even if that’s not who I am. So, I just </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretended</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was! I flirted with women, did everything I was supposed to. And…here comes Korra and Asami, telling me that it’s okay that I’m not like that, and I don’t know what to do about it.” Mako blinks. Blinks again. He’s just sitting there, processing what Wu had just said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wu, did you just…come out to me?” He asks, more shocked than anything. Wu had always flirted with women before, and even if all the attempts were dramatic Mako would’ve never guessed it had all been an act. The former prince starts nervously laughing, running a hand through his hair. His brown curls cascade over his eyes, and really, it's a shame his forest green eyes were covered, even if only for a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep, I think I just did.” Wu says, a smile that’s a bit too dull to be real on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Cool. That’s…that’s cool.” Mako stuttered, internally scolding himself for coming off so awkward. Wu grabbed his drink, carefully taking a sip as Mako regretted every choice he’d ever made leading up to this point in his life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, Mako wasn’t going to say anything else, but there’s one thing that hadn’t left his mind since the conversation started…and he was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>dying</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you into anyone?” Mako says, instantly regretting it. Wu choked on his drink, face quickly becoming flustered as he set the glass down. “Sorry,” Mako said, burying his face in his hands. The former prince seemed frozen for a second until he sheepishly put his hand behind his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t apologize, it’s fine, and I—well, yeah, I-I am. But he—“ Wu paused, eyes interlocking with Mako’s for only a moment before turning away. “he’d never be into me, to say the least.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mako’s brows furrowed in confusion. That was such an odd thing to hear, coming from Wu, who was typically confident. Suddenly, he felt almost angry at whoever made him feel like he didn’t have a chance. Wu’s exaggerated personality isn’t for everyone, but he’s smart and genuinely kind and, well, he’s actually really </span>
  <em>
    <span>attractive</span>
  </em>
  <span> and who wouldn’t want to date him, he’s literally </span>
  <em>
    <span>the former Earth King</span>
  </em>
  <span> working to </span>
  <em>
    <span>establish democracy in the—</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure about that?” Mako hears his own voice, cutting off his previous train of thoughts that was honestly starting to get weird. He decided to just file them away and deal with them in two to five years like he always had. Wu’s eyes flicker back up to Mako’s as if searching for something, and Mako just stared back into those deep, calming, forest green eyes and could almost feel himself getting lost in them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I—“ Wu stuttered, seemingly unable to tear his eyes away from Mako’s. He breathed for a moment, and something flickered in his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hope. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that Mako became confused. What had changed in the span of two minutes that suddenly made him more hopeful? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, actually.” Wu says, seemingly unable to tear his eyes away from Mako’s. Mako can’t bring himself to look away either; his eyes were just captivating. His voice was still filled with so much hope, and it almost made Mako think that—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a long minute before Wu cleared his throat, standing up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I should probably get going by now.” He says, gently smoothing out the wrinkles on his clothes as he turned to walk towards the door. Mako felt himself follow, not quite aware of the movement. He heard Wu chattering about something irrelevant, but he was too busy thinking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Is that really how it had been, all this time? All of the flirting, the casual touching, the outings that almost always felt like dates? And Mako had just been blind to it all? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wu had been…in love with him? For how long? Why? When? How did he know? Why hadn’t he told him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh. That’s right. Wu didn’t think he felt the same way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait, did he feel the same way?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Earth to Mako? You okay there buddy?” Wu said, waving a hand in front of Mako’s face. He wore a nervous smile, eyes worried as he tried to get Mako to snap out of it. He’d never admit it, but he almost liked it when Wu was worried like this. It made him feel…wanted. Cared for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just…thinking,” Mako muttered, shaking his head. Wu seemed concerned for a second before deciding to brush it off with a shrug of his shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you say so. I’ll see you next time, then?” Wu said, facing Mako with open arms, as if ready for a hug. Mako blinked as if regaining consciousness, and for a minute he just stared at Wu, and just really </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought</span>
  </em>
  <span> about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As much as he’d want to, the way Wu made him feel wasn’t something that could be filed away until it resurfaced two years later. It wasn’t butterflies, didn’t feel anything like that. He felt oddly at peace when he was with Wu. He didn’t know when it started feeling like that, when the former prince became more than just his employer to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, forgot you don’t like hugs.” Wu said, an embarrassed undertone to his voice as he let his arms fall to his sides. Mako startled, realizing he had forgotten that Wu was quite literally standing right in front of him. Quickly, Mako wrapped his arms around Wu, pulling him close to his chest. Surprised, Wu gently returned the hug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you should tell him.” Mako says softly, still holding onto Wu. It was nice, actually, just to hold someone like this. He hadn’t done that for a long time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared he’ll reject me,” Wu says quietly, almost surprising Mako with the vulnerability in his voice.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d figure this out. Eventually. But, right now, it was eight on a Saturday night, and Mako wasn’t quite ready to face his feelings head on in the dim light of his apartment kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He won’t.” Mako said gently, moving to let go but deciding against it once he realized that Wu wasn’t letting go anytime soon. Mako realized that, even if Wu wasn’t one to shy away from latching onto him, he probably hadn’t been held by someone for a long time either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He holds on a little tighter. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>in conclusion they’re both gay and touchstarved, mako is a dumbass who didn’t know he was pining for several years and also didn’t realize wu is in love with him<br/>this was probably really out of character forgive me,,, i also couldn’t decide on the tone and it’s not beta read so it was probabaly bad i’m just sorry in general <br/>my tumblr is @wukorights, follow for updates!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>